Acura is Honda’s premium marque, and the TLX replaces two sedans in its lineup, the TSX and the TL. In spirit, the TLX is the new TL, but without the creased, Transformer-like sheet metal of the outgoing model. The designers, seemingly wary of thrills, steered clear of controversy this time around. Only the signature Acura beak attempts to polarize.

The TLX can be had with a 206-horsepower 4-cylinder engine, but the car I’m driving in the video has the 290-horsepower 3.5-liter V6. All front-wheel-drive TLXs get all-wheel steering. The V6 model comes with a 9-speed automatic, and 4-cylinder models get an 8-speed dual-clutch automatic. Super Handling All-Wheel Drive is available on only the V6 model.

Honda knows how to bake sportiness into a chassis, and the TLX drives like a really nice Honda. The SH-AWD version zooms from zero to 60 miles per hour in just under six seconds. It has become quieter at highway velocities than its predecessor. Word on the street is that 4-cylinder models have a crisper overall driving feel. The TLX has an on-center feel that is absolutely locked down, possibly because of its Lane Keeping Assist system. It’s difficult to discern how much Super Handling All-Wheel Drive, which sends more torque to the outside rear tire during corning, affects performance because it can’t been switched off.

Items like the standard Jewel Eye LED headlights and the optional ELS premium audio system impress. But to run with Audi, BMW, Cadillac and the newly aggressive Lexus, Acura might try putting the passion of their ads into the car. The pleasure of a stylish cut and sewn dash, a self-parking system or a panoramic glass roof is not available on the TLX. The infotainment system interface will be very familiar to Honda owners. I would be thrilled if it were more elegant to use and had Audi- or BMW-grade graphics.

Pricing for the TLX starts at $31,900, and it comes loaded at $45,600. That reasonable price could withstand a slight increase to pay for the luxury goodies the car needs. It’s as if the product planners at Acura believe that buyers don’t need such frills. And perhaps we don’t. But we want them, don’t we? Promising thrills, Acura delivers understatement and logic.

Correction:

An earlier version of this article and the related video referred incorrectly to the transmission of the 2015 Acura TLX with a V6 engine. It is a 9-speed automatic transmission, not a dual-clutch transmission.